by Lily Thomas
Susan brushed past him and strode into the medical bay, her scent drifted up to his eager nose. She was so sweet, like flowers in summer, and he felt himself leaning in. Rylnuhn straightened his spine.
If he acted like a love-sick fool, he would give away the fact she was his mate without saying a single word.
She was an ambassador. She was probably the only human who knew the most about every species in the universe. He'd thought he'd given himself away in the cell when he'd suddenly jumped her, but she'd seemed too surprised to think anything of it.
It was a well-known fact Vrak'rir had mates and couldn't resist the pull for long. He only hoped she'd be receptive to him, or they'd both find out just how long a Vrak'rir could wait to claim his mate.
Unfortunately, he didn't think it would be that long. All his instincts were clambering to have her under him. Images kept flashing through his mind, her under him wet and eager, or her hair spread over his pillow after some rough lovemaking.
"Akuhr." Rylnuhn looked around the medical bay for his doctor.
Akuhr's head popped out from behind a cabinet. "Yes?" The other Vrak'rir's brow wrinkled.
"I have a patient for you."
Akuhr came around the corner and looked Susan over, toe to foot. "Hop up on a medical bed, and I'll take a look."
Rylnuhn liked Akuhr. He hadn't even batted an eye at a human woman. He was a good friend and a great help.
"Can't you just take a look at me standing? I swear it's healed properly."
"Hop up on the medical bed," Rylnuhn commanded, folding his arms across his chest as he glared down at her. She might be his mate, but she was turning out to be a very stubborn woman. They were going to clash a lot if this was her true nature.
"I'm fine!" Susan huffed with exasperation.
He kept glaring down at her, using his height to intimidate her as he took another threatening step towards her.
With a huff and a roll of her jade eyes, she jumped up on the medical bed and laid down, her frizzy red hair flying all over the pillow, just like his daydream, except he hadn't ravished her silly yet.
Rylnuhn got a good look at her charred shirt, and his stomach heaved. She could've easily been killed. Someone was going to answer for the harm that had befallen her.
"Hold still." Akuhr came up beside her, pushing Rylnuhn out of the way.
He wanted to stay by his mate's side, but he also didn't want to get in the way. Her health was of utmost importance.
Chapter 7
Susan watched as Rylnuhn leaned up against a wall, his onyx eyes never straying from her. Even in a relaxed pose, she could tell he was ever vigilant, ready to jump into action the moment he was needed.
Something in the back of her mind prickled at her. What was she missing here? There was a thought right at the tip of her tongue, but she couldn't place it. Maybe if she stopped thinking about it, it would come to her.
She glanced up at the doctor as he ran a device over her wound. He was one of the few Vrak'rir she'd seen with so few tattoos. He had the position of a doctor, but none of the triumphs of a warrior. It was interesting. She was getting a good glance at some of the inner workings of the Vrak'rir species. It was tantalizing.
As an ambassador, she got to learn about other cultures, without the opportunity to really assimilate into a culture and get to know the people. Instead, she met with their ambassadors and worked out deals.
She'd had little to no dealings with any Vrak'rir in her position though, but she'd still read up on them just in case.
"Who is he?" She whispered up at Akuhr hoping she could learn who her captor was.
"I can hear you." Rylnuhn's voice snapped like a whip.
Susan cringed. Duh. She was acting like a regular human. Of course, Vrak'rir had better hearing than humans. Compared to most other species, humans were the least advanced, or so it seemed sometimes.
She let her head lull to the side so that she could glance over at Rylnuhn. "So, who are you exactly. I know your name, but what do you do?"
"We will discuss that when Akuhr is done checking you out."
"Can I know what planet we're on? Is it Vrak?"
Vrak was the Vrak'rir home planet, and she hoped they were there. If she were on Vrak and she managed to escape, she could find safety in a government building.
"We are not on Vrak."
"Oh." There went some more of her hope. "What planet then?"
"A planet I own in the Xirdon system."
Xirdon.
She tried to place it but ended up shaking her head in confusion. "I haven't heard of that one before." But it didn't surprise her he owned it. He'd just bought her for twelve million credits. She was slightly flattered with the price he'd put on her head.
"Her wound has healed well. There is nothing more I can do for her." Akuhr said as he finished examining her side.
"You're sure?"
"He's sure." Susan rushed to say, refraining from rolling her eyes. She was getting tired of being poked and prodded by people. "We humans are a lot tougher than we look."
Rylnuhn grunted, but it didn't sound like he had just agreed with her last statement. She scowled at him.
"Follow me. We will go to the hall for some food."
Her stomach uttered a pleased growl, and Rylnuhn cast her a knowing smile. Susan gave him a sheepish grin. It'd been a while since she'd last eaten, what could she say.
Susan jumped off the medical bed and followed him out into the hall. "So, you have a planet, does that mean you have a little city going on?"
"No. You could call this my second home."
"Hmmm. So, what's your first home?"
"Vrak."
Not chatty, but she was finally getting some answers out of him.
Glancing around the compound, she was pleased to see the ground level appeared to be up to date with technology. The walls and floors were metal, and every once in a while, they'd pass a lit-up console. It was a lot better than the medieval-looking dungeon she'd been trapped inside.
Susan tried her best to get a good look at the consoles they passed. She knew a little written Vrak'rir but mainly relied on a verbal translator right behind her ear.
"The consoles will be of no use to you. They will request a thumbprint, and yours will not unlock their screens."
She glanced over at Rylnuhn. Leave it to him to be watching her intensely. "Guess I'll need to take someone's thumb… and I'm guessing your thumb would be the master key to all consoles."
A grin spread across his face, as he threw back his head and laughed. "I would expect no less from you. You are a resourceful woman, and I will be sure to guard my thumbs appropriately."
"You seem to know me, but I have no recollection of you." Had she met him before? He didn't ring any bells, and a Vrak'rir of his size would be hard to forget. He was the stuff of nightmares, for most people. He was only an annoyance for Susan.
They entered a grand hall.
"Have many guests over?"
"No."
"Why such a large area for dining then?"
"The occasion might arise where I'll need it."
"Type A planner, huh?"
"Type A?" He sent her a quizzical look.
"Means you like to have things planned and be in control of everything going on around you. You strike me as a man who likes to have his ducks in a row."
"I don't know what a duck is, but I do enjoy things being organized." He confirmed.
Rylnuhn led them over to a table, where he pulled out a chair and motioned for her to sit.
"Who knew a Vrak'rir could be such a gentleman." Very interesting indeed. She got the feeling he was charming her on purpose. Whatever he wanted from her he seemed to think he could charm it out of her like a flute player to a cobra. He didn't need to go through all this trouble, and she wished he would just cut to the chase already.
"Not all Vrak'rir are driven by their emotions."
"I will admit, I haven't met many of your people in my line
of work… not yet at least."
"You will find us an interesting people."
Susan sat down and then stood briefly so he could scoot her chair closer to the table, and then sat down for the final time.
Rylnuhn picked a seat across from her and pressed a button near to where he sat.
"What does that do?" Susan motioned to the button he'd pressed on the screen, which was on his side of the table.
"To notify the servants to bring us some food."
"So now that we're at the table… why did you have me kidnapped?" She wasn't going to stop pressing him for answers. She couldn't resolve this if she didn't know what he wanted.
"A couple of reasons, but we will get to those soon enough."
"Ok. Is my life in danger?"
Rylnuhn's face contorted with disgust. "Not under my roof." He spat passionately.
At least she wouldn't be killed. That was good to know.
"So, what do you want to talk about then? You don't seem interested in the questions I've been asking."
Rylnuhn would have to work the information from Susan slowly and not in a conspicuous manner. The moment she knew what information he was digging for she would close up and offer him nothing.
He needed information about the President of Earth and Earth's defenses, but getting the Earth ambassador to give up those details would be tricky, very tricky.
His client wanted results and quickly. Ever since leaving Vrak, Rylnuhn had created a business gathering information. He didn't care what his clients did with the information, and he had no issue with the way he got the information out of a subject. But things were different with Susan.
He couldn't force the information out of her with torture. She was his mate, and any pain caused to her would be intolerable for him. He had to come up with other ways to extract the information the Sri'thaens needed.
They were a dangerous client, even for Rylnuhn. They had some big plans for the human race, but as long as they left Susan Mallery alone, he didn't care too much about what they did to the rest of the human population.
"We'll have to get you some new clothes." Rylnuhn eyed her charred clothing again. It was a harsh reminder he could've lost her.
"I wouldn't mind a change of clothing. My shirt is little more than a rag now, and I'm sure I smell like a barbeque."
Rylnuhn grunted his agreement. "When did this happen?" He wanted to know who was to blame for nearly killing his mate.
"When Je'lak and his crew kidnapped me off my ship, I got caught in the crossfire, but it was all my fault." Her jade eyes scanned over his face, trying to read him. "Seriously. I stepped right into it out of my own accord."
"Then it's Je'lak's fault for this mess." Rylnuhn frowned in displeasure.
Her green eyes flashed at him. "Don't you dare do anything to Je'lak." She pointed at him with a dainty finger.
Rylnuhn smiled. Spirit. He liked that in his mate. "Or you'll do what?" He was curious what she'd threaten him with, since she had no power, yet she acted like there was nothing to worry about in this situation.
Susan was quiet for a second, as she thought about her answer. "You want something from me, and whatever it is, I won't give it to you. I need you to promise you won't do anything to Je'lak."
"What does he mean to you, this Je'lak?" Rylnuhn didn't enjoy the way she stuck up for this man who allowed her to be shot. She hadn't fallen in love with her hired captor, had she? Then he might have a whole new reason to kill this Je'lak. She was his mate, and he wasn't willing to share.
"The woman who saved me, the human doctor, her name was Zoe. She and Je'lak had a thing, so if you kill him you'll piss me off, and then you'll never get the information you want." Susan folded her arms in front of her chest.
"But he was the one who shot you?" Rylnuhn leaned over the table a little. He wanted to read her eyes and see if she was telling him the truth.
Susan surprised him by leaning over the table as well and stared directly into his eyes. Their mouths were just inches apart, and he wanted nothing more than to lean in the last degree and plant a kiss on her lush lips. But he couldn't predict her reaction to such a bold move.
He'd already made a slip down in the dungeon by kissing her, but her scent had overwhelmed him in such an enclosed space.
"I have no idea who shot me. It could have been my guards. We were in a dark corridor when I tried to save one of my guards. They may not have known it was me, so you can't blame Je'lak for my injury."
"Save one of your guards? Shouldn't they protect you?"
Susan huffed at him. "It was no one's fault that I was shot. If anyone is to blame, it's me." She sat back down in her chair.
A door opened into the hall, and several servants poured out with plates laden down with food. They laid the plates out on the table.
"Help yourself to whatever you like." He waved his hand at the platters.
"Thank you." Her tongue shot out to lick her pink lips, as her eyes zeroed in on the food on the table.
His cock stirred at the sight of her pink tongue flicking out. He wanted nothing more than to swipe the food off the table and ravish her on the table top. Sucking in a calming breath, he tried his best to will his cock back into obedience.
"Anyway, no killing Je'lak. You can think of it this way, someone shot me, but Je'lak made sure to get a human doctor to save my life. So, you can call it even."
Rylnuhn grunted as he grabbed some food for himself. "I will still have a word with this Je'lak about his delivery."
"Well, Je'lak wasn't the one who delivered me to your pilot. It was some other guy by the name of Zrirc, I believe."
"I know of him. A dangerous Daen'su and one you can never trust." He wasn't pleased Zrirc had delivered her to his pilot, but there was nothing he could do about it now.
"I got the same feeling. He wasn't the kindest man I'd ever met."
Her journey to him had ended up being more of an adventure then he had meant for it to be. Maybe he should've kidnapped her himself to see to her well-being.
As the meal continued, Rylnuhn felt himself relax in her presence. It was nice to have his mate around, to know she was safe under his roof. He'd never let anything like this happen to her again. Now that he had her, he was going to keep her.
But first, he had to come clean about what she was to him. Would she accept him? She might be a human, but she was an ambassador, which meant she would know more about alien species than an ordinary citizen. It might not surprise her if she found herself in a mated situation. She met with aliens on a daily basis, and it had to be in the back of her mind, that she might meet a mate.
He'd just have to find the right time.
"Is there a reason you left Vrak to live alone on a random planet?" Susan looked up at him as she chewed on a bit of meat from a native animal.
"It's peaceful here." Rylnuhn dodged her question. To fully answer her question, he'd have to come clean about a lot, like the fact that she was his mate, that he was the rightful heir to Vrak, and that he could now claim his seat as the ruler of Vrak. It was a lot of information to take in, especially for a human woman, even one who was an ambassador.
"I've never met a Vrak'rir quite like you. Leaving Vrak to live on a planet just for some peace? Don't take any insult, but you have to admit it's strange for a Vrak'rir not to be looking for a fight." Her green eyes lit up with amusement.
Rylnuhn smiled over at her. "We tend to be rough around the edges, but we can be level-headed. Usually, mates drive us insane. Sometimes because we have the drive to find our mates and sometimes because we find them but have to wait to enjoy their company in the sheets." Like he was doing now. It was only a matter of time before he went insane and beast-like.
He'd have to come clean at some point, but he didn't want to scare her away. If she were a Vrak'rir woman, this would've been a lot easier. A Vrak'rir woman would've spread her thighs and welcomed him with eager arms.
His life would've been so much more comfortable w
ith a Vrak'rir woman, a woman who would've felt the mating urge with him. Rylnuhn had no idea where to start with a woman who wasn't Vrak'rir. He knew he was supposed to woo and win her over, but he wasn't sure how to go about it.
"Did anyone special come with you?" Susan drew his attention back to her. "Maybe a mate or some family members?"
"It is just me and my hired help."
"Seems a bit lonely, doesn't it?"
Rylnuhn shrugged. "I've filled my life with work." And with getting his hands on her.
"What kind of work do you do?"
"I have clients, but I must keep their affairs private. I'm sure you can understand."
"I can understand the need for privacy."
Susan got the feeling he was dodging her questions. She was tired of people not answering her. She hoped Zoe survived and was having better luck. Someday she expected to catch up with Zoe, but she had no idea what Rylnuhn planned with her.
She could keep pressing him for answers, but she doubted it would get her anywhere. Rylnuhn didn't strike her as the chatty type, which wasn't surprising if he was content to live on a planet with only servants around him.
There was a part of her that was curious about this business of his. It could be the reason he'd wanted her. Maybe she was supposed to help one of his clients with something.
God! He drove her crazy, but she was holding onto her cool. She was the ambassador of Earth after all. Answers would come with time, and if she was lucky, a rescue party might reach her.
Susan was sure the military would be all over this. A missing ambassador was not a good situation. She had all sorts of information about Earth that could cause problems for them. A rescue mission or an assassination mission, whichever the Earth Alliance decided was more straightforward. Susan knew her people might kill her to keep their secrets.
If a rescue did come after her, she'd better do some information gathering. Earth needed to know about his new threat. The only reason to kidnap an ambassador was to learn about someone's defenses or to get a ransom.